Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae [Hardcover]

Bruce J. MacFadden (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521340411 | ISBN-13: 978-0521340410 | Publication Date: October 30, 1992

The family Equidae have an extensive fossil record spanning the past 58 million years, and the evolution of the horse has frequently been used as a classic example of long-term evolution. In recent years, however, there have been many important discoveries of fossil horses, and these, in conjunction with such new methods as cladistics, and techniques such as precise geochronology, have allowed us to achieve a much greater understanding of the evolution and biology of this important group. This book synthesizes the large body of data and research relevant to an understanding of fossil horses from several disciplines including biology, geology and paleontology. Using horses as the central theme, the author weaves together in the text such topics as modern geochronology, paleobiogeography, climate change, evolution and extinction, functional morphology, and population biology during the Cenozoic period. This book will be exciting reading for researchers and graduate students in vertebrate paleontology, evolution, and zoology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...this book will be widely read and discussed by students of evolution in general. Even creationists ought to read it; they could learn something by its spirit of inquiry." Malcolm C. McKenna, Science

"...a timely and readable text, a good advertisement for the biological fruits that the paleontological tree can bear." Nature

"Fossil Horses is excellent, giving a clear description of the known and complicated facts, plus a deep and satisfying discussion of the philosophical issues--orthogenesis, punctuated equilibrium, the role of variance (splitting of habitats) in the creation of new species, and so on. If evolution interests you or if you are a biologist with a penchant for horses, then this is the one to buy." Colin Tudge, New Scientist

"...is excellent, giving a clear description of the known and complicated facts, plus a deep and satisfying discussion of the philosophical issues..." Colin Tudge, New Scientist

"...an excellent revision, quite readable, interesting and with many pages of references." Leonard T. Boyer, Paleontological Notes

"If the success of a book is to be measured by the number of pro and con comments and expletives penciled into the margins by readers, then my copy suggests that this book will be widely read and discussed by students of evolution in general. Even creationists ought to read it; they could learn something from its spirit of inquiry." Malcolm C. McKenna, Science

"...a scholarly account of horse evolution, bringing fossil horses back to life with his vivid analyses of the evidence and setting it all in the context of current ideas in palaeobiology. The book will surely stand as a worthy successor to the late George Gaylord Simpson's famous book Horses, now over 40 years old, and it deserves to become equally popular." Bob Savage, Times Higher Education Supplement

"This well-written text provides paleontologists and nonprofessionals a thorough view of the types of questions that can be asked and initially answered by examination of an excellent fossil." D. Bardack, Choice

"...a timely and readable text, a good advertisement for the biological fruits that the palaeontological tree can bear." Adrian Lister, Nature

"...a very thorough study of fossil horse taxonomy, geochronology, biogeography, evolution and ecology, and anatomy and behavior that begins with the earliest recognizable horse, and ends with the evolution of the genus Equus...a useful...general reference..." David J. Meltzer, Geoarchaeology

Book Description

The horse has frequently been used as a classic example of long-term evolution because it possesses an extensive fossil record. This book synthesizes the large body of data and research relevant to an understanding of fossil horses from perspectives such as biology, geology, paleontology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 383 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521340411
• ISBN-13: 978-0521340410
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,965,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #100 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Paleontology > Vertebrate

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best fossil horse book out there, October 17, 2003

By 

Arlington Arlo (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae (Paperback)

I'm a novice trying to understand the incredibly complex history, 58 million years, of the horse. I went on a dig and had the fun of finding bones and teeth from Miocene thru Pleistocene horses. I had a lot of questions after I got home about various issues raised by what we found. This book answered them and more. It's a real scientist's book, not a coffee table book, so it takes some concentrated reading, but I learned things that allowed me to go the natural history museum and perceive the fine points in the display. There were interesting asides also about the perspectives of scientists from the last few centuries, and earlier graphics to compare to new ones illustrating how the understanding of evolution has changed over the years. I'm going on another dig and this time I may know what I'm looking at.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Horses and Evolution, July 1, 2007

By 

Richard White - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae (Paperback)

The horse is often cited as one of the shining examples of evolution. It is even more often cited by CreationISTs and Intelligent Design proponents as an example of the folly of "evolutionists". CreationISTs consistently misquote, misreprensent and fabricate their arguments about horse evolution.

MacFadden's book is not strictly about the evolution of horses. Individual specimens are not cited, measurements are not provided, and character matrices are absent. Strictly speaking, it is a book about evolution, which just happens to use the author's extensive knowledge of fossil horses as its exemplars.

MacFadden discusses the nature of paleontology and the nature of fossils. He talks about how we erect a chronological structure for our fossils. He explicates various evolutionary processes, including variation, speciation and extinction. Functional morphology, population dynamics, ecology - all are described in terms which the non-specialist can appreciate, and are illustrated using the fossil record of horses.

For those who struggle daily against the incursion of religion into the science classroom, I cannot imagine a better preparation than a careful reading of this book. For anyone interested in learning just what a paleontologist does it provides a wide-based introduction. High school students will find it fascinating; it could be used as an excellent text for a college level course in evolutionary biology, and vertebrate paleontologists will find it a welcome state-of-the-art summary of what we know about the evolution of the horse.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Primarily for the specialist, October 10, 2000

By 

Sarakani (Harrow United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fossil Horses: Systematics, Paleobiology, and Evolution of the Family Equidae (Paperback)

I got this book brand new for 50 pence as apparently the book had no buyers.

For 10,000 years human civilization depended on horses and unsurprisingly horse evolution was a hot scientific topic at a time when people had no faster means of personal transport. History and its emperors are littered with tales of the horse and the equine symbollism in war and heroism is still with us. Given such a magical subject McFadden's book represents a somewhat staid academic account in the style of a scientific paper. Peppered with many references McFadden treats the reader like an academic used to such presentation and fails to enliven his topic. He touches all too briefly on the cultural importance of the horse and the book lacks any decent illustrations save several charts and technical drawings.

McFadden has certainly put in a great deal of hard work and covers many topics from the history of the study of horse evolution to geneology, geological time and the work he and his co-workers have produced. The book is too specific on the Equidae and does not deal adequately with recently extinct members of this family like the quagga and prehistoric species. Nor does it explain clearly why horses may have dissapeared from the Americas. Parts of the book, e.g., the limb locking mechanism were for me hard to follow. The book is afraid of speculation.

It provides ample materials and references to the student and to the paleontologist and is a good textbook. It fails to dramatise its subject and to attract a "lay audience". We are not really treated to what makes horses so special but to its credit it represents a highly authoritative and up to (its) date digest.